The Future for Real Estate Professionals: 8 Ways to Stay Ahead

While we can’t take a sneak peek into a crystal ball to see the future of the average real estate professional, it’s no surprise there’s a lot changing in — and around — the industry. Instead of playing guessing games, we’re breaking down the top best practices you can expect to leverage as we move into the future.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Oftentimes, it seems like the latest device or technology is coming up and out at breakneck speed. It can be tough to stay on top of the latest and greatest, but the agent of the future is already ahead of the curve — and on the cutting edge. To get ahead, stay on top of the most helpful, innovative tech used in real estate, and invest in learning how to use it, and make it work for you.

Expanding Your Influence and Network

The modern agent knows the importance of networking and building influence. By investing thoughtfully into networking opportunities, their personal brand, client experiences, and professional connections, you can expand your reach and recognition. This will help grow and develop your prospect and client database, as well as help drive opportunities to expand professionally.

Distinctive Personal Branding

Nowadays, everyone is positioning themselves as some type of expert online. To stand out from the competition in your market, and also from countless other online users, agents need to have strong, distinctive branding for themselves. In a social media-centric age, having a clear identity online is a must. And in real estate, ensuring that identity transcends online and offline channels is non-negotiable.

In the future, agents will need to invest in their personal brand, monitor its performance, and audit and refine their brand as needed.

Macro — and Micro — Market Understanding

In the future, agents need to have a key understanding of the market beyond their own ZIP code. With national market shifts and trends not seen in decades becoming more and more common, the modern agent needs to understand what these changes mean, how they impact their local market, and how to translate it all to the average consumer.

While you’re typically dialed into your local area’s happenings, you also need a deeper understanding of the state of the national market to bridge the gap and educate consumers.

Investing in Transaction Management Tools

Few things are more important to your clients than a smooth transaction and a timely closing, but somehow delays and bottlenecks have become accepted as “part of the process.” Break out of the chaos, stand out from your competition, and showcase your value with an experience your clients won’t forget. Back Office tools like Brokermint bring you one system to automate, manage, and give you visibility into every transaction.

• Automate operations with tailor-made checklists, a central place to manage all documents and details, and communicate with all parties in just a few clicks. 
• Streamline the paperwork, send forms, collect signatures, and seamlessly document every with pre-populated eSignature and State Forms.
• Simplify the buying process with a full view of your pipeline, and insight into every inch of each transaction, all in one system.

Everything is mapped and monitored in one central hub, so transactions stay on track, closings are on-time, and you create clients for life.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Automation

As artificial intelligence tools and automation features become more and more commonplace, the modern agent can work with these tools, rather than against them. For a powerful approach, they can anticipate using technology to do things like manage daily tasks, meetings, or documents. Tech can also be leveraged to automate things like tracking, marketing, and lead follow-up.

In turn, agents are able to use their extra time to build a unique client experience for each lead and client to strengthen and grow their business.

Ensuring Strong Client Relationships

Real estate pros are experts at providing an excellent client experience — but how can they keep the connection strong long after they leave the closing table? By investing in strong client relationships and staying in touch with them, long after the transaction is over. In the future, agents need to continue building upon the trust and rapport established during the transaction. This can be done by creating customized email nurture campaigns for past clients, hosting exclusive appreciation events, and sending small holiday or anniversary gifts.

The modern agent knows maintaining strong client connections can lead to future business and plenty of referrals, and invests in these relationships meaningfully.

Creating Unique Client Journeys

Not every transaction is a one-size-fits-all, and agents’ approach to each and every client journey must be unique to reflect this. By personalizing the client journey, you can build stronger relationships, empower your client, and ensure a stellar customer experience to drive repeat business and referrals.

Take stock of the details and characteristics of each client and use it to tailor their journey accordingly. Leverage the power of customized email nurture campaigns, personalized educational resources and content, and always aim to be transparent and open in your communication.

The Future is Here

With so many changes in real estate and technology happening regularly, real estate pros need to stay ten steps ahead of it all. By investing in each of these areas, you can set yourself up for success long before any curveball is thrown your way.